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World’s first boothless multiplex opens
posted by
danpetitpas
on
October 24, 2008 at 10:45 am
BESSEMER, AL — Premiere Cinemas has announced the opening of the world’s first multiplex theater without a projector booth.
The Tannehill Premiere Cinema 14 features all digital projection using Barco projectors hung from the ceiling.
Each projector is mounted to a platform suspended about 10 feet above the floor at the top row of each stadium. The enclosure is insulated to prevent noise and vibration leaking through.
In addition, the chain has installed a black-light illuminated command center booth on the main floor of the multiplex where moviegoers can look in and see the digital movie server in operation.
The multiplex uses several sizes of Barco projectors depending upon screen size. Four of the auditoriums are 3D capable.
Premiere plans to open another all-digital 14-screen theater in Alabama next month using the same design.
The company installed some digital projectors in Orlando last year and “(we) have had nothing but happiness from our management staff,” said Premiere’s President and CEO.
Read more in Digital Cinema Today.
Comments (13)
This’ll be a laugh when something goes wrong during a show!
What a thrill it must be to see a computer server in operation! Look at those little flashing lights!
What they fail to mention is that they have a life span of 3-5 years, then you must spend another $100,000 to get ‘em replaced. Multiply that by 14 screens, and you’ve got yourself 1.4 million to spend. Of course, the best 35/70MM projectors last for years. Did I mention that smart hackers can download movies easier now?
Chains, when you open up a new theater, how about having half film projection, and half digital (but with backup projectors)?
I and a lot of advocates of film will sit back & watch this blowup in the faces of the impatient noobs making this decision.
Couldn’t have said it any better CinemarkFan.
What an absurd idea. I am willing to bet that decision was made by theatre execs with no background in projection,took advice from the people manufacturing those projectors. They will learn a hard lesson, and perhaps teach them in future regarding such issues,to get imput from technical folks who could have warned them of the danger in such an operation. It reminds me a few years back,
IMAX began telling theatre owners that the projectors thread themselves and anyone can operate them. What a load of bull that turned out to be. Yes, the IMAX projectors do basically thread themselves, but IMAX did not speak to the fact that the film needs to be laced very carefully, or that there is intense cleaning required after every showing.
As to the Digital projectors mounted in the theatres, it should be fun when a Xenon bulb blows up in one of those projectors and the audience go running out screaming from the theatre. Have you ever heard a Xenon bulb blow?? Well if you haven’t allow me tell you it can be very loud and will easily be mistaken for a bomb going off. Yes,they will soon learn, opps, we may not have thought this through
Yes, and what happens when the lamp cooling fan starts getting noisy or screechy during a show? or if someone shines a laser pointer into the video projector’s lens (thus damaging the projector)?
And don’t forget how light-fingered the janitors are. Gee, where did the projector disappear to?
“or if someone shines a laser pointer into the video projector’s lens (thus damaging the projector)?”
And remember folks, these things can’t be refurbished like 35MM projectors can!
And wait till the roof leaks into this video projector. Or worse, wait till the projector falls on a customer!
You just gotta love it!!!!!
Wait till the customers start throwing trash up there on the ‘platform’ blocking the image from the video projector. Or worse, it blocks the lamp cooling fan!
Hey peeps, another type of screen people should aspire to
View link
This strikes me as being extremely tacky. Give me the booth anyday.
By the way, does anyone find it amazing that Alabama has so many theatres with digital projection while larger states or cities seem to have so few? For example when St. Louis got their first theatre with digital projection (in one auditorium) in 2005, many smaller cities in Alabama already had digital projection and in multiple auditoriums as well.
“Projector booth”…LMFAO!!!!!!!